President’s Note: May 2003

The Morgan Library in New York City houses a fabulous collection in the history of natural history. For a few months this winter the Library displayed some of their finest: Fuchs, Merian, Catesby, Redouté, and Audubon to name a few. Words hardly sufficed for my later descriptions: spectacular, dramatic, fascinating.

What surprised me most about this exhibit was the crowd. Manhattan overflows with options even on its quiet days. Yet when I visited the Library – it was a wintery Sunday afternoon – I could hardly see some displays and had to circle through several times to have a good look. The gift shop was as busy as the day before Christmas. Talking over the exhibit later that day, one thing was clear: the history of natural history is alive and well in the Big Apple.

I have trouble reconciling this overwhelming interest in our subject with fears I have about the number of members in our Society. We are a dedicated lot. Independent and self-sustaining. But we need to encourage more people to join our fellowship. One simple reason is financial. Our budget needs to stay balanced. Producing our beloved publications costs more each year. Postage and distribution fees continue to rise. We also have a long series of incidental costs to cover. Balancing the books depends on healthy growth in our membership.

We all know there's enormous excitement about the history of natural history. We also know there's a great deal of scholarship left to do in our subject. Can I ask each of us to pledge to do at least one thing this year to improve the Society's future? Even the smallest actions help a great deal. Ask a colleague to join. Check that your library subscribes. If it doesn’t (or has stopped), request they start. Encourage students and younger people to join, too. Donate a small amount to the Wheeler Fund for student travel. Think about writing for the newsletter or for Archives. Come to a meeting. Write to me with your ideas for moving ahead.

Our Society is ideally positioned to tap into the widespread enthusiasm for history of natural history. It is a great honour for me to assume the presidency. Feeling the energy in the Morgan Library – not to mention the energy of our Florence meeting – there is every reason to believe we’ll be going strong for decades to come. Add your small contribution. You may be surprised by the impact you can make.

Many thanks.

Joe Cain
SHNH President

(You can see the Morgan Library's exhibit on-line)